What is Alicante nougat or hard nougat?
Alicante nougat, as well as hard nougat, is one of the best known nougat by all Spaniards. In fact, it is one of the nougats with the most demand in the Christmas market.
It is called Alicante nougat or hard nougat to that Christmas sweet made with whole almonds, lightly toasted with honey, egg white and wafer to cover the nougat pieces.
Normally, this hard almond nougat is used as a sweet in Christmas pastries, sharing space with other types of nougat and Christmas sweets. Do you want to discover other types of Spanish Christmas sweets? Click here.
Difference between Alicante nougat and hard nougat
Basically, Alicante nougat and hard nougat are the same. Same ingredients and same preparation. The only difference that exists between the two and, hence their distinction in the name, is that the Alicante nougat belongs to the Denomination of Origin nougat from Jijona and Alicante.
This distinction is synonymous with quality, therefore, the hard nougat that meets all the requirements of the Regulatory Council is part of the Protected Geographical Indication of Alicante.
Alicante nougat with I.G.P
Unlike hard almond nougat in general, Alicante nougat is typical of the Alicante province. Located in this province is the Jijona Nougat and Alicante Turrón Regulatory Council in charge of the Denomination of Origin and that said products meet all the requirements to belong to the Protected Geographical Indication.
And for this sweet to be sealed with the name of Alicante nougat with I.G.P., the requirements that it must meet are:
- It is made with natural ingredients (almonds, honey, sugar, and egg white) of the most select varieties on the market.
- Specific elaboration techniques are applied (toasting, ball point cooking, reefing, etc.) and native utensils that give them authenticity and differentiation.
- The wisdom and good work of the '' Maestro Nougat '' when it comes to the adaptation and finishing of the product.
- It has a name that identifies the product as originating from a specific place or region, in this case Alicante.
Ingredients needed to make Alicante nougat (Turrón de Alicante or turrón duro)
Honey, sugar, raw almonds, egg white and icing sugar. * Depending on the desired quantity, more or less quantity of each ingredient will be used.
How to make homemade Alicante nougat recipe:
A hard or Alicante nougat tablet is very easy to make. We just need the right ingredients to be able to make an exceptional homemade nougat for our Christmas dinners. Let's see the recipe step by step:
1. First, we will toast the whole almonds in an ungreased pan. Over low heat and stirring constantly.
2. On the other hand, we will put a pot with a lot of sugar and honey, also over low heat and stirring to mix. We will mount the egg white and when it starts to bubble, we will cook for a few more minutes and remove from the heat.
3. We will incorporate the whipped white slowly and stir so that it does not set.
4. We return the pot to the simmer until the cooking reaches the caramelized texture.
5. Once the caramel is made, add the almonds and mix it.
6. Let it cool.
7. We line a mold with baking paper and place the wafers on top. We spread the nougat and cover with wafer again.
8. Let it cool in the fridge for 3 hours.
9. Ready to eat.
